Winter Warmup

Now that the brutal cold of winter is behind us (hopefully) we've been getting out more in the great outdoors.

Laura has been having a lot of fun skating this winter. Her skating is really coming along, and soon she'll be zooming past me. She even got to try her hand at hockey.


Having a big pink scarf is very important when you are playing hockey.


Now she just needs to find someone to fight!


A local park had an event where they set up some snowshoeing paths. The girls loved getting outside and looking around. Anna did very well for her first try in showshoes, but eventually I had to carry her.


Here we are going through the snow!


Laura was a master track finder. We saw deer tracks, rabbit tracks, mouse tracks, and doggie tracks.


After snowshoeing, we went ice fishing. Laura was really excited to give it a try.


We leaned you have to dig a hole in the ice, and put a worm on a hook.


Nope, no fish yet.


You have to be very patient to be a fisher-princess.


After seeing Laura do it, Anna insisted that she could give it a try. She was excited to be a big girl, just like Laura.


They both were very patient waiting for the fish to bite.


Anna really like it.


Laura needs a bucket to sit on. Or a ice fishing shack with a TV to watch mickey mouse clubhouse and drink milk while she fishes.


Alas, the fish weren't hungry. Maybe next time.


They got to make some snow angels.


They had a great time, and they got hot soup when they were done.



Here is some bonus video of Laura playing Hockey!

Skating Adventures

Now that we are out of the deep deep freeze and only in the deep freeze, we took the kids skating. Laura is really picking it up, she has gotten into the 'shuffle' mode on her single runner skates and can make her way across the ice. Of course she falls over, but as she says "It's part of the fun!"


Anna tried the double runners, but she was having trouble so I took off her skates. She WASN'T impressed with my decision, but I didn't think my back could take an hour of L-shape helping holding her up. Her mood improved when she got to go on shovel rides.


Laura only had 1 incident with the shovel. She fell forward into it and spat up some blood. To her credit she got right up and pushed Anna around some more. We told her hockey players get bloody lips all the time. I didn't tell her it was because they hit each other with their fists.


Most kids draw flowers and animals during preschool art time. When Mommy is an immunologist, you learn about the Rhinovirus, so you make a Rhinovirus art project.


Dad likes to build towers with his gals. Today was a super lego tower. No camera tricks or cheating, we were able to make the 7 foot lego tower stay standing... Until Laura started jumping!


Last weekend the cousins stayed overnight for sleepover. We showed Ige Age 3-D on the big screen in the basement, and it was a hit.

Everyday Life

After the whirlwind holidays, life is settling into the winter routine. The kids are sleeping better, which is really nice.

Anna sure looks different in ponytails!


Laura worked very hard on her art project. It was a hawk, and she made it all by herself with her favorite construction materials: paper & tape.


This morning I left Laura in the bathroom for a couple minutes of 'Getting Ready for the Day' (AKA makeup) while I tended to Anna's diaper & clothes. Much to my surprise, she carefully spread lipstick over her entire face. I should have known something was up when she was so quiet.

Home Photo Shoot

Emily needed a nice photograph of herself for her work, so I volunteer to play the role of photographer, grandma Becky volunteered her DSLR, and grandpa Bud provided a makeshift studio.

After Emily was done, I had the girls practice their photo shoot skills.

Anna was first. Oooh! This is fun!


It was tough getting Anna to stay still for long.


Even if I was silly, she wouldn't dare look at me.


On the other hand, Laura is a seasoned pro at these photo shoots. After a quick comb of her hair, she was ready to pose and make fun expressions.


What are these bright lights for?


Let me think....


To make sure I look as cute as can be!


I asked Laura to make some faces. Here is "Daddy, I did something I wasn't supposed to do, but it was a lot of fun"


"Can I please have a special treat?"


"Thanks for the special treat!"


"The special treat was BROCCOLI!"


"Thanks for not making me eat the broccoli"


"Let's count some stars in the sky"


"This was fun dad!"


Here are the shots of Emily. You can see where the girls get their photogenic nature.






Bonus Joke....
On the drive home, we asked Laura to tell a joke. She thought about it and then said:
"Mommy, you are MEAN!" Then after a dramatic pause said "I'm just joking!"
We all had a good laugh. Then she said: "Daddy, you are really nice."

Funny little girl.

Florida Christmas

We wrapped up the Christmas fun by jetting down to Florida to visit Mimi, Bumba, Uncle Silly (Brad), and Mandi. The kids had a great visit, and despite missing the snow, they had fun in Florida. Again, we were fortunate enough to experience record cold temperatures! Naturally, the day we left it got back up to normal.

Laura (and Anna) got a special doll for Christmas from Mimi with Mimi's hand made doll clothes.


Anna was in love. Special Anna chair + snack + TV = Happy Girl. She doesn't get ANYTHING like that at home.


Plenty of Ice Cream was eaten on the trip. Here Anna even shares some.


Laura eating lime ice cream made with limes from the local citrus grove.


We had a picnic at the beach. Uncle silly was entertaining as always.


Anna is checking out the beach. She loves the sand.


Hey daddy, SAND!


A family photo op.


Laura, the beach princess. She even was brave enough to wade into the 55 degree water. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.


Sand is great for running around.


Plenty of sand to make a mess. I think they still had some on their body when they got home to Minnesota.


Laura carried her weight, and Anna wanted to be carried.
Here is daddy the pack mule hauling:
1 backpack with laptop
1 carry on bag
2 checked bags over 40 lbs.
2 child car seats.
I got plenty of stares and some comments about our luggage efficiency.